CHARLIE, aged 31, and Tracey, aged 39, both from Crewe, work for The Dove Service, which helps people across North Staffordshire and South Cheshire to deal with issues such as illness and bereavement, as well as giving training for issues related to loss and grief. It has outreach groups all over the area including Cheadle, Crewe and Alsager.

How long have you known each other?

Charlie: Tracey and I worked in a pub together about six years ago. We didn't work together on the same shifts, but when Tracey's fiancé died I got in touch with her. I went round to her house to offer my support and we have been friends since then.

Tracey: We worked in the pub together about five or six years ago, and people kept suggesting we meet up because we were both training to be counsellors. When my partner died Charlie came straight to me and we really hit it off. She helped me with the rest of my training because she was two years ahead of me on the course.

What are your experiences of bereavement?

Charlie: I experienced the loss of my grandparents as a child which was upsetting. I certainly have a lot of sympathy for people who are going through bereavement themselves.

Tracey: My partner died four years ago in March and It was an incredibly difficult experience. I was training to be a counsellor at the time but I carried on training despite how difficult it was to cope with his death. A few weeks after he died I had a test which decided whether you can go out into the community and be a counsellor. A lot of people advised me against taking it, because it was so close to my partner's death, but I took it anyway and I actually came out top of my class. I originally wanted to go into drug and alcohol counselling, but it was my own experience which inspired me to go into bereavement counselling.

What do you admire about each other?

Charlie: I have a great lot of respect for Tracey because she is an extremely good counsellor. She is very generous with her time and very giving in what she is prepared to offer the organisation.

Tracey: She is so passionate about what she does and she's also a very resilient person. I love working with her because we are both positive together.

Why did you decide to start working with the Dove Service?

Charlie: I applied for the job because I had trained as a counsellor and I also had a lot of management experience. The job that I do now is good because it combines the two. The Dove Service has a good reputation for all the work it is doing within the community, so it's a pleasure to work for an organisation that actually believes in what it is doing.

Tracey: It was because of my own personal experiences. I wanted to help people who had been through similar experiences to me, as I have got a lot of empathy for people who are suffering bereavement. I understand that there are a lot of stages of dealing with a death, such as anger, grieving, screaming and shouting – it affects people in different ways.

What is the best thing about your job?

Charlie: I like the fact that I never know what I'm going to be doing throughout the day. It's also really fantastic to be able to offer counselling and training to people who need it, here or out in the community.

Tracey: The job gives me as much as I give it. I feel like I'm going through an incredible journey with a person. I also like to see the change in people as they get help. Sometimes people are so depressed they feel like they want to die, but we help them work through it.

What is the hardest part of your job?

Charlie: The hardest thing is knowing there are people out there that don't access counselling who desperately need it. We can be a great support to them.

Tracey: Sometimes things stay with you and they are hard to leave behind. Sometimes my job is stressful, but the good things far outweigh the bad.

Why do you think it is important to have services like the Dove Service in the community?

Charlie: Without it there would be an awful lot of people left without any support. We also work with people from the age of four and it feels very special to be able to provide that sort of support to young people.

Tracey: It's hugely important because every one of us in some point in our lives is going to experience bereavement. I also think bereavement is taboo. When I experienced it people would sometimes cross the street to avoid me because they didn't want to talk about the death of my partner, or they would try and make everything seem really happy. It made me feel like an outsider.

The Dove Service is based at The Dudson Centre, Hope Street, Hanley. For further information call 01782 683155 or email Charlie O'Dell on charlie.odell@thedoveservice.org.uk.